Proud to be vegan!

Sunshine · 02-24-2004, 03:33 PM

Well I'm finally getting around to writing my story even though I've been using this forum since last July - but I think I bummed out Dandelion when I told him I hadn't written my story yet - and he's so great for getting this fantastic forum together for us that I'd hate to disappoint - so here goes....

About 15 years ago I was leaving a little environmental gift/card shop in Chicago and at the door were some leaflets from Peta that I grabbed on the way out. I have no idea what made me take them, but when I started reading them that evening I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had never heard about factory farming or any of the horrible ways animals were treated before and I was shocked. I became vegetarian at that moment and never went back to eating meat. But I was still on the dairy and egg kick. I decided make myself more aware and the more I read and the more I became aware the more staunch I became in my views. I think it was John Robbins who put me over the edge and turned me into a vegan - though it's been about 14 years so I'm not exactly sure. I just know every time I took one more step forward, I never looked back. After"food vegan" I then finally gave up leather, silk, wool, etc - prob around 1991 - and I must say that this was/and still is the hardest for me. Not because I desire to wear it - but I'm a 5'11 125 lb female - so try finding clothing even with all the options open. I have a horrible time finding pants especially - it seems the larger you are the longer the length - but I wear a size four so it's basically impossible. And I also have a horrible time with elegant winter coats and finding one with long enough sleeves - they're almost all made with wool - so the chances of finding one that fits when I find one that's not got any animal products is slim - for casual wear I get away with buying men's jackets - but my husband does a lot of entertaining for work for which I often need to accompany him (last night it was the opera) and a goretex jacket just doesn't cut it - so right now my "dressy" coat has just been relined for the 5th time - but I fear this is it's last winter as it's over 10 years old and starting to fall apart. So if any of you have any suggestions for where to buy tall slender female vegan clothes - puh-lease let me know!

Seriously, I don't really find the food thing difficult at all - I love food - but I pretty much find that most places are quite accomodating if you explain yourself nicely. Plus my husband and I love to cook - especially in summer - I have a wonderful organic garden in my postage stamp size Chicago backyard (but hey, I'm lucky to have a backyard in the city) with fantastic vegetables due in large part I believe to the wonderful compost pile we have. That's another great advantage to being vegan - basically all scraps can go into the compost pile!

Speaking of my husband, he, like I grew up quite carniverous - and when we met I don't believe in being preachy - he just kinda learned as we went along - but remained carniverous. Then when we married - just 8 months after we met - but going on 11 years now! - we agreed that it would be foolish to make two different meals in the house, so we would always eat vegan at home - plus I don't even like to have my kitchenware "contaminated" with meat even if you do wash them afterward - yuck! - anyway, he started to lose that little spare tire he'd always struggled with - and was like "wow, this is cool and effortless" and one day decided he would also go vegan - I leave it for there on him as he may eventually write his own vegan story here - but anyway, he's more a vegan for health reasons - and I am for ethical ones.

I just started reading about raw foodists in the Chicago Tribune last year and then I went to an Earthsave meeting where the woman was a raw foodist and she got my mind thinking about it - then Vegit-8 came to Chicago last summer and I went to a couple of his talks. What he said made a lot of sense and since August I've tried to eat a lot more raw food - I was up to about 70% I'd say - and was considering going all the way - though quite gradually. But then a bizarre thing happened - I got pregnant. (Okay that's not the bizarre thing - just wait) with our first child - we're thrilled - we're expecting a baby girl in Sept. So my husband and I didn't only become vegans - we're making new ones! Yeah vegans! It will be the second vegan baby born to our Chicago vegan meetup in just the year we've been meeting! Anyway, the bizarre thing is that when morning sickness finally hit - and boy did it hit - I couldn't even look at any raw food. The thought of a salad literally turned my stomach - and don't even mention fruit (except bananas) to me. ........don't know why - but for now I'm totally back to cooked (of what cooked I can get down which is also somewhat limited) - can't wait 'til this part of pregnancy is over. But when I'm feeling human again I do plan to get back to more raw as I really think it is a healthy vegan way.

Our main concern now is all the "advice/lecturing" we're in for (we're already hearing it from my husbands family) about how wer're going to have to feed this baby meat and milk or it's going to be defective. We'll raise it vegan - but people tend to get more preachy when kids are involved - we're finding that out already. Other than that my road to veganism (except for clothes) has not been hard. I'm going on two decades as a vegan. I really believe in it - I can't imagine living a less compassionate way.

dropscone · 02-24-2004, 03:59 PM

What a cool story. Good luck with the coat and the baby

It's amazing you can't find good vegan clothes, it always seems to me as a fat shortarse that all clothes are made for you!

anyway, welcome.

jenzie · 02-24-2004, 05:01 PM

Awesome story Sunshine, thanks for sharing that with us.

Good luck with the baby!

Dandelion · 02-24-2004, 07:11 PM

Yay Sunshine!

What a wonderful vegan story!
Oh and i kept trying to reassure you that i really wasn't bummed but i'm certainly happy that you've finally written yer story. You are so fun to hang around with and talk to, i'm glad we met! Yer hubby is a coolio too, a nice guy... putting up with all our vegan antics

. Yer baby is gonna be the best!

Adams · 02-24-2004, 07:15 PM

That's a great story Sunshine!

Who knew those pamphlets actually worked!

If people are giving you trouble about your diet for the baby then you should run off some copies of the ADA paper on vegetarian/veganism and give it to them. They specifically say that an appropriately planned vegan diet is healthy for infants and children.

Good luck with your baby and your clothes hunting!

American Dietetic Association position paper:
http://www.eatright.org/Public/Files/veg.pdf

Dr. Schmeebis · 02-24-2004, 07:56 PM

Hip hip hooray. Welcome, Sunshine.

More vegans should breed.

Sunshine · 02-24-2004, 08:34 PM

You guys are the best! Thanks for the link Adam. Any other info anyone can pass on would be more than welcome.

Also I should mention that we're big animal lovers - and take in the rejects that noone wants - we have four cats - one with no tail, one fairly hairless (the shelter thinks he got frostbite), one that's diabetic (gets insulin twice a day) and one that's deaf. We also have a white boxer dog - and I wouldn't trade a single one of them for a "perfect" cat/dog - they're all perfect to me!

Justitia · 02-24-2004, 08:43 PM

Hi Sunshine! So glad you shared your story, and it really is an inspirational one! I think so many people on the outside view veganism as a phase, or something that people will grow out of. It's veterans like you that prove them wrong

I was really glad to meet you and your husband at Soul Veg and hope to see you again sometime soon!

Congratulations on the baby! Vegan parents and vegan babies are so cool!

thecatspajamas · 02-24-2004, 10:57 PM

What an amazing story Sunshine. Long term vegans really inspire me. Vegan parents committed to sharing their compassionate lifestyle and spreading it around are even more impressive. It was great meeting you and your husband at Soul Veg. Good luck with the coat and the little one on the way!

ohbugs · 02-25-2004, 09:15 PM

Hi Sunshine! A pamphlet pushed the envelope for me too...hooray for chance encounters with life-changing literature. It was so nice meeting you and your husband at Soul Veg the other week. I wish you all the best for your wee vegan. Thanks for sharing your story.

inconformista · 06-02-2007, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Justitia

Hi Sunshine! So glad you shared your story, and it really is an inspirational one! I think so many people on the outside view veganism as a phase, or something that people will grow out of.

Don't you want to strangle those people until you remember you're supposed to be a friendly representer? I'm at a friends house, telling his mom not to order any pizza for me since the dough has whey in and I'm vegan, and a guy chimes in, "Yeah, my sister went through that phase, too."

GRR.

Oh, and welcome! I'm really a nice person; don't let my short rant confuse you.

Good luck with baby! And if all else fails, there's always sewing and altering clothes. Or finding people who will sew and alter clothes for you.

02-24-2004, 03:33 PM	#1
Sunshine summer goddess Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chicago - St. Ben's neighborhood Posts: 753	Proud to be vegan! Well I'm finally getting around to writing my story even though I've been using this forum since last July - but I think I bummed out Dandelion when I told him I hadn't written my story yet - and he's so great for getting this fantastic forum together for us that I'd hate to disappoint - so here goes.... About 15 years ago I was leaving a little environmental gift/card shop in Chicago and at the door were some leaflets from Peta that I grabbed on the way out. I have no idea what made me take them, but when I started reading them that evening I couldn't believe what I was reading. I had never heard about factory farming or any of the horrible ways animals were treated before and I was shocked. I became vegetarian at that moment and never went back to eating meat. But I was still on the dairy and egg kick. I decided make myself more aware and the more I read and the more I became aware the more staunch I became in my views. I think it was John Robbins who put me over the edge and turned me into a vegan - though it's been about 14 years so I'm not exactly sure. I just know every time I took one more step forward, I never looked back. After"food vegan" I then finally gave up leather, silk, wool, etc - prob around 1991 - and I must say that this was/and still is the hardest for me. Not because I desire to wear it - but I'm a 5'11 125 lb female - so try finding clothing even with all the options open. I have a horrible time finding pants especially - it seems the larger you are the longer the length - but I wear a size four so it's basically impossible. And I also have a horrible time with elegant winter coats and finding one with long enough sleeves - they're almost all made with wool - so the chances of finding one that fits when I find one that's not got any animal products is slim - for casual wear I get away with buying men's jackets - but my husband does a lot of entertaining for work for which I often need to accompany him (last night it was the opera) and a goretex jacket just doesn't cut it - so right now my "dressy" coat has just been relined for the 5th time - but I fear this is it's last winter as it's over 10 years old and starting to fall apart. So if any of you have any suggestions for where to buy tall slender female vegan clothes - puh-lease let me know! Seriously, I don't really find the food thing difficult at all - I love food - but I pretty much find that most places are quite accomodating if you explain yourself nicely. Plus my husband and I love to cook - especially in summer - I have a wonderful organic garden in my postage stamp size Chicago backyard (but hey, I'm lucky to have a backyard in the city) with fantastic vegetables due in large part I believe to the wonderful compost pile we have. That's another great advantage to being vegan - basically all scraps can go into the compost pile! Speaking of my husband, he, like I grew up quite carniverous - and when we met I don't believe in being preachy - he just kinda learned as we went along - but remained carniverous. Then when we married - just 8 months after we met - but going on 11 years now! - we agreed that it would be foolish to make two different meals in the house, so we would always eat vegan at home - plus I don't even like to have my kitchenware "contaminated" with meat even if you do wash them afterward - yuck! - anyway, he started to lose that little spare tire he'd always struggled with - and was like "wow, this is cool and effortless" and one day decided he would also go vegan - I leave it for there on him as he may eventually write his own vegan story here - but anyway, he's more a vegan for health reasons - and I am for ethical ones. I just started reading about raw foodists in the Chicago Tribune last year and then I went to an Earthsave meeting where the woman was a raw foodist and she got my mind thinking about it - then Vegit-8 came to Chicago last summer and I went to a couple of his talks. What he said made a lot of sense and since August I've tried to eat a lot more raw food - I was up to about 70% I'd say - and was considering going all the way - though quite gradually. But then a bizarre thing happened - I got pregnant. (Okay that's not the bizarre thing - just wait) with our first child - we're thrilled - we're expecting a baby girl in Sept. So my husband and I didn't only become vegans - we're making new ones! Yeah vegans! It will be the second vegan baby born to our Chicago vegan meetup in just the year we've been meeting! Anyway, the bizarre thing is that when morning sickness finally hit - and boy did it hit - I couldn't even look at any raw food. The thought of a salad literally turned my stomach - and don't even mention fruit (except bananas) to me. ........don't know why - but for now I'm totally back to cooked (of what cooked I can get down which is also somewhat limited) - can't wait 'til this part of pregnancy is over. But when I'm feeling human again I do plan to get back to more raw as I really think it is a healthy vegan way. Our main concern now is all the "advice/lecturing" we're in for (we're already hearing it from my husbands family) about how wer're going to have to feed this baby meat and milk or it's going to be defective. We'll raise it vegan - but people tend to get more preachy when kids are involved - we're finding that out already. Other than that my road to veganism (except for clothes) has not been hard. I'm going on two decades as a vegan. I really believe in it - I can't imagine living a less compassionate way.

02-24-2004, 03:59 PM	#2
dropscone hat-wearing potato eater Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Leicester, England, United Kingdom Posts: 2,855	What a cool story. Good luck with the coat and the baby It's amazing you can't find good vegan clothes, it always seems to me as a fat shortarse that all clothes are made for you! anyway, welcome. __________________ "Like a cloud of blossoms falling Ain't it such a gorgeous morning? Hold your breath and reach for the blue" Blossoms Falling - Ooberman

02-24-2004, 05:01 PM	#3
jenzie up close, far away Join Date: May 2003 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 4,578	Awesome story Sunshine, thanks for sharing that with us. Good luck with the baby! __________________ [FONT=Arial]Cherish yesterday. Dream tomorrow. Live like crazy today.[/FONT]

02-24-2004, 07:56 PM	#6
Dr. Schmeebis Mammalian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 26	Hip hip hooray. Welcome, Sunshine. More vegans should breed. __________________ Schmeebis

02-24-2004, 10:57 PM	#9
thecatspajamas 27 years in the making Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Champaign-Urbana Posts: 178	What an amazing story Sunshine. Long term vegans really inspire me. Vegan parents committed to sharing their compassionate lifestyle and spreading it around are even more impressive. It was great meeting you and your husband at Soul Veg. Good luck with the coat and the little one on the way! __________________ In Heaven, everything is fine.

02-24-2004, 07:11 PM	#4
Dandelion some crazy monkey Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 13,016	Yay Sunshine! What a wonderful vegan story! Oh and i kept trying to reassure you that i really wasn't bummed but i'm certainly happy that you've finally written yer story. You are so fun to hang around with and talk to, i'm glad we met! Yer hubby is a coolio too, a nice guy... putting up with all our vegan antics . Yer baby is gonna be the best!

02-24-2004, 07:15 PM	#5
Adams The Embarrassed Chimpanzee Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Ottawa, ON Posts: 996	That's a great story Sunshine! Who knew those pamphlets actually worked! If people are giving you trouble about your diet for the baby then you should run off some copies of the ADA paper on vegetarian/veganism and give it to them. They specifically say that an appropriately planned vegan diet is healthy for infants and children. Good luck with your baby and your clothes hunting! American Dietetic Association position paper: http://www.eatright.org/Public/Files/veg.pdf

02-24-2004, 08:34 PM	#7
Sunshine summer goddess Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Chicago - St. Ben's neighborhood Posts: 753	You guys are the best! Thanks for the link Adam. Any other info anyone can pass on would be more than welcome. Also I should mention that we're big animal lovers - and take in the rejects that noone wants - we have four cats - one with no tail, one fairly hairless (the shelter thinks he got frostbite), one that's diabetic (gets insulin twice a day) and one that's deaf. We also have a white boxer dog - and I wouldn't trade a single one of them for a "perfect" cat/dog - they're all perfect to me!

02-24-2004, 08:43 PM	#8
Justitia Dorky Lawyer Girl Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Chicago Posts: 321	Hi Sunshine! So glad you shared your story, and it really is an inspirational one! I think so many people on the outside view veganism as a phase, or something that people will grow out of. It's veterans like you that prove them wrong I was really glad to meet you and your husband at Soul Veg and hope to see you again sometime soon! Congratulations on the baby! Vegan parents and vegan babies are so cool!

02-25-2004, 09:15 PM	#10
ohbugs That's my story and I'm sticking to it Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Suburb of Chicago Posts: 148	Hi Sunshine! A pamphlet pushed the envelope for me too...hooray for chance encounters with life-changing literature. It was so nice meeting you and your husband at Soul Veg the other week. I wish you all the best for your wee vegan. Thanks for sharing your story.

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